Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike
Between 1896 and 1899, thousands of people lured by gold braved a grueling journey into the remote wilderness of North America. Within two years, Dawson City, in the Canadian Yukon, grew from a mining camp of four hundred to a raucous town of over thirty thousand people. The stampede to the Klondike was the last great gold rush in history.
Scurvy, dysentery, frostbite, and...more
Scurvy, dysentery, frostbite, and...more
Hardcover, 413 pages
Published
September 13th 2010
by HarperCollins Canada
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
154)
This awesome book is not about this kind of gold digging (Nathaniel wondered?) Though, Jamie Foxx and Kanye West in the Klondike in 1896 probably would have been awesome. At the very least, the gambling halls, bars and hookers would have been even more rich from their patronage!
So...not about:
but totally about:
In seriousness, though, Gray did a great job with the book. Gold Diggers covers the gold rush period from 1896 till 1899, viewed through the narratives of prospector William Haskell, bus...more
So...not about:
but totally about:
In seriousness, though, Gray did a great job with the book. Gold Diggers covers the gold rush period from 1896 till 1899, viewed through the narratives of prospector William Haskell, bus...more
Well told historical tales. The only thing that would have been better is if they were fictionalized to be even closer to the reader. That's just my preference. Gray did a solid job of weaving six different character's lives together, and to bringing the significance and feel of the arctic at the turn of the century into our modern day imagination by able comparison.
1 like · like · see review
view 1 comment
The story of the Yukon Gold Rush is a fascinating one. The discovery of gold deposits in Bonanza Creek in 1896 attracted every sort of person from all parts of the world to the area. Soon Dawson City was a rowdy frontier town full of prospectors, entrepreneurs, bankers,and prostitutes. What Charlotte Gray does so effectively is tell you this history through the stories of the lives of six people who were there to experience it all: the minor William Haskell;the priest Father Judge; the businessw...more
Feb 02, 2011
Adrian
added it
Gray includes all the sweat, grime and hard graft of the Yukon gold rush as experienced by six individuals. It's quite a story and remarkable for a phenomenon that lasted less than four years (1896-1899)that it still holds such a spell. The center of the gold rush was the city of Dawson which grew from nothing to 30,000 and back down again to nearly nothing during these years. Gray could have provided a bit of detail on what large companies did in dredging the area after the individual prospecto...more
Gray brings alive the Yukon gold rush and life in Dawson using a series of primary sources such as a contemporary prospector's account of his two years in the Yukon, Jack London's writings about his disastrous foray into prospecting, a brother's account of a Jesuit priest who founded Dawson's hospital, and an interpid English lady reporter for the Times.
The book brings the period alive and leaves you with brilliantly described images and anecdotes you won't soon forget.
Highly recommended.
The book brings the period alive and leaves you with brilliantly described images and anecdotes you won't soon forget.
Highly recommended.
The back cover blurb reads: "Mounties, miners, ministers, and dance hall girls — they all came to Dawson City in the Yukon as the world went mad for gold."
Respected biographer Charlotte Gray has chosen six different individuals to profile in this book from among thousands who flocked to the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890s. There's the miner William Haskell, whose partner Joe Meeker is tragically swept away under the ice by the swift current in the Yukon River; the selfless Jesuit priest, F...more
Respected biographer Charlotte Gray has chosen six different individuals to profile in this book from among thousands who flocked to the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890s. There's the miner William Haskell, whose partner Joe Meeker is tragically swept away under the ice by the swift current in the Yukon River; the selfless Jesuit priest, F...more
A lot of times, things that happen in real life are more interesting than many fiction novels, and you can read about them in these history type books that follow people's lives through a certain period of time. You get to hear all about exiting and quirky things they did and saw, and strange or engaging people they met, way before there was electricty, railroads, or any creature comforts. I happen to love these kinds of history books. They allow you to imagine yourself living in that time and...more
The narrative is beautifully executed, and Charlotte Gray has done a great job of weaving together the stories of diverse characters in Dawson City during the Klondike era. She has unearthed some interesting facts I haven't come across before, most notably the tension between the Jesuits and the Oblates. What kept it from five stars for me were some factual errors. It's the Coast Mountains, not the St. Elias, through which the Chilkoot Pass runs; I cringed every time this range was misnamed in t...more
I really liked this!! I knew little about the gold rush and I felt this book gave me both a wider context and a specific understanding of certain peoples' experiences. Charlotte Gray is a good writer and a great researcher; in this book she follows the story of the Klondike gold rush through the stories of a prospector, a priest, a businesswoman, an English journalist, the law officer Sam Steele, and Jack London. I liked some chapters/characters (all real people, please note) better than others...more
Mar 21, 2013
Myrl Coulter
added it
Well done. Very readable even for someone new to an interest in the Klondike gold rush. Depth of research is evident on every page, but doesn't weigh it down.
An absorbing look at the Klondike gold rush, focusing on a few people who were participants in completely different ways. Most of the information, particularly about these people's personal experiences, came from first hand accounts. Great read.
A great overview of the Klondike goldrush in Dawson City. Told through the lives of 6 people who lived and worked in Dawson during its short but exciting heyday. The photos and ancedotes make the book read more like fiction than non.
great account of the Yukon Gold Rush of 1896 to 1900.
Fantastic book about the Klondike gold rush.
Wow! What a wonderful book. This is the best non-fiction book I've read in a long time. It reads a little bit like a novel, but it's fascinating to know it was based on true events with actual individuals who lived in Dawson.
Charlotte Gray has a way of making history exciting. She focuses primarily on 4 characters of that era, and weaves their tales throughout the book. I feel as though I know them. This particular subject has always fascinated me, and given the resurgence in gold mining, this is fascinating reading. I'm definitely destined for Dawson City within the next 2 years.
Fascinating account of the Yukon Gold rush. I want to go to Dawson city and party!
Tells the story of the Klondike gold rush by focusing on the lives of six very different people. The focus on the individuals lends drive to the narrative without sacrificing a sense of the overall history. 4+ stars - superb.
A fascinating look into the Dawson gold rush years. It was wonderful to get an up-close and personal look at several real life characters (including a youthful Jack London), rather than just a general overview. B
Great read. My rating is 4.5 Stars. Review already submitted. My First Edition copy ends on page 413.
Narrative history at its best. Love Gray's writing style!
Love the books of history an old tough adventures.
May 19, 2013
Kelly
marked it as to-read
May 17, 2013
Jonathan Henke
added it
May 08, 2013
Stani Petrova
marked it as to-read
Apr 29, 2013
Meghan
is currently reading it
Apr 21, 2013
Rudy
added it
Apr 14, 2013
Shannon
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Charlotte Gray is one of Canada’s best-known writers, and author of eight acclaimed books of literary non-fiction. Born in Sheffield, England, and educated at Oxford University and the London School of Economics, she began her writing career in England as a magazine editor and newspaper columnist. After coming to Canada in 1979, she worked as a political commentator, book reviewer and magazine col...more
More about Charlotte Gray...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
